NCAI Statement on House Passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021

Published on Mar 17, 2021

On March 17, 2021, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1620, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021, with bipartisan support. The bill contains key provisions aimed at enhancing safety in tribal communities and ensuring offenders who abuse children and elders or commit crimes of sexual violence, stalking, sex trafficking, obstruction of justice, and assaults against law enforcement and corrections personnel are held accountable.

Traditional Councilwoman Juana Majel Dixon, Co-Chair of the NCAI Task Force on Violence Against Women released the following statement:

“VAWA has always been a bipartisan bill, and has always included provisions aimed at empowering tribal governments to protect our communities. With passage of HR 1620, the House has recognized that Native victims of sexual violence, child abuse, stalking, and trafficking deserve the same protections that Congress afforded to domestic violence victims in VAWA 2013. This is about our right, as governments, to protect our citizens from violence. It is about the countless victims who have experienced life-changing trauma simply because federal law has tied our hands from protecting them. We cannot allow this to continue. We appreciate the House prioritizing passage of VAWA in the 117th Congress, and we call on the Senate to move swiftly to take up HR 1620.”

H.R. 1620 will now be sent to the Senate for consideration.

To view the text of H.R. 1620, click here.

To view NCAI’s letter and resolution supporting HR 1620 click here.

For additional information about NCAI’s priorities for addressing violence against Native women click here.   

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About the National Congress of American Indians:

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information, visit www.ncai.org.